Vest Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL)

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL - Free Report) by 29.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,560 shares of the textile maker's stock after acquiring an additional 2,422 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Ralph Lauren were worth $2,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,139,975 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $221,007,000 after buying an additional 137,631 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 949,512 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $183,787,000 after acquiring an additional 30,694 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 839,296 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $162,714,000 after acquiring an additional 78,008 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 520,393 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $100,889,000 after acquiring an additional 60,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Ralph Lauren by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 492,787 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $95,537,000 after acquiring an additional 13,640 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.91% of the company's stock.

Ralph Lauren Stock Performance

NYSE:RL traded up $0.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $273.03. 619,836 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 774,822. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $241.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.36. Ralph Lauren Co. has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year high of $289.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $16.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.49.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. Research analysts anticipate that Ralph Lauren Co. will post 11.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Ralph Lauren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James lowered Ralph Lauren from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $332.00 to $348.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Argus upgraded Ralph Lauren from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cfra set a $171.00 price target on Ralph Lauren in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $279.33.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men's, women's, and children's clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.